Chapter 26: Like a Ripe Fruit

"Very well!" The call ended, and the waitress turned to the lady, saying, "The expert says you should come in the afternoon."

"What time in the afternoon?"

"After two o'clock. I will coordinate with him; you can come with peace of mind!"

The lady thought for a moment, took back the jade bead necklace, fastened it around her left wrist, and led me out. Once we were outside, I expressed my concerns: "Mom, a place like that is very expensive! We have no money on us. If the appraisal fee is several thousand, how could we possibly pay it?"

"Oh," the lady sighed, "Money is needed everywhere. At critical moments, no one is willing to lend it to us, fearing we won't be able to pay it back. Your mother has done her absolute best; we can only leave it to fate. I don't want this bracelet anymore. If you can get in touch with Mo Liping, you should return it to her."

"Mom, how could you ask me to return it? I lied at the time, and now to say the bracelet is with me... what would she think? In my opinion, let's just put it aside for now."

The lady could think of no better solution. She took me to ride our bicycles, and soon we arrived at the school gate. Before leaving, she took a red wallet from her purse, gave me ten yuan, and left quietly in tears.

Her tragic silhouette left me feeling helpless. I always felt like she wasn't really my mother; there was always a barrier between us.

I had no heart to listen to the afternoon classes; my mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of borrowing money. After school, I wandered around to clear my head, only returning home when it was dark. I turned on the lights, and feeling hungry, I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The only thing available was a carton of eggs in the door rack—a few dozen of them. I didn't want to cook a real meal, so I used the induction stove to poach five eggs. Just then, my phone rang.

Who could be calling? I tried to guess for a long time but couldn't figure it out. It was a strange number, so I held it to my ear to listen.

A familiar girl's voice came through: "Zhengtai, are you home?"

I really had nothing but affection for her; I liked her a lot! I said into the phone, "I just finished eating some poached eggs. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, I want to come over to your place to do some writing—the homework the Chinese teacher assigned. I don't know if you've done it yet?"

Her words reminded me. Besides, there was no one home; my mother had just left, likely heading to the hospital. I said, "Come if you want! I don't really know how to write it either."

"You have to come pick me up. Text me the address!"

I wasn't familiar with the area yet, so I asked anxiously, "Where should I meet you?"

"At the bus stop! Just give me the address, and I'll find it!"

Without thinking, I agreed. After hanging up, I went out to check the house number and sent it via text. A moment later, a message came back: "Got it! I'm leaving now!"

I was already by the door, so I locked it and hurried downstairs. As soon as I reached the intersection, I saw Jiang Meili standing across the street. She waved back immediately. She took a long way around, coming down from the footbridge. Waiting for her made me restless, but when she finally reached my side, she was only a head taller than me. Wearing her school bag and a long student skirt, she looked lovely—the picture of a pure, innocent girl. However, most of the people I had been around were women, and I wondered if there were "male-girls" among them. Was Jiang Meili, by my side, also a "male-girl"? I was very curious.

I thought of Mo Liping—her walk, her figure, her small face—everything was feminine. Except... that sweet feeling was truly enchanting. Yet, she was a deviant who would hit people! Such ugly behavior was hard to believe; how could it come from a "male-girl" as delicate as a woman? She had defiled my young body, demanded money, and scared me to death—only to turn out to be a dead number?

Jiang Meili clung tightly to my arm, just like the classmates teased, feeling a bit like a "lily" romance. Her first words were startling: "Zhengtai, I missed you so much! I was so afraid I wouldn't see you!"

I couldn't help but put my arm around her waist and ask, "Have you eaten?"

She nodded, looking a bit worried, and asked, "Is anyone home?"

I told her the whole situation, then asked, "Did your mother agree to let you come?"

She didn't hesitate: "There's no class tomorrow, so I just told her I was going to a classmate's house to do homework, and Mom agreed!"

I almost forgot—tomorrow was Saturday, and the day after was Sunday. There were only two days left to turn in the essay...

Jiang Meili didn't care about that; she only wanted me to sign up for something so we could watch a martial arts performance! I had intended to sign up, but with a sick person at home and constant trips to the hospital...

As we talked, we reached the fourth floor and the iron door. I opened it, let Jiang Meili inside, locked the door, and turned on the bright lights.

Jiang Meili looked around, surveying the whole house, and said, "The place is small and unfurnished. It seems your family is quite poor!"

I loved hearing whatever she said. After all, the incident involving the honor student had bound our hearts together. What stuck with me most was how she was scared on the spot... for a girl, how embarrassing that must have been? I wondered if she had been scolded when she got home.

Jiang Meili sat on my small bed, took off her school bag, and pulled out... it stunned me. Was she really planning to have a "lily" relationship with me? I couldn't help but ask, "What is the meaning of this?"

She didn't blush, her heart didn't race, and she wasn't afraid I'd laugh at her: "Being a woman is just different! Ever since I started my cycle, I've begun to think of men, but I'm a student and can't have an early romance, so I can only..."

I blamed everything on that wretched thing the female teacher had put up on the blackboard, which made the boys and girls lose control and have wild thoughts.

Jiang Meili didn't think so. She had her own twisted logic: "When people mature, they must carry on the family line. It's an inevitable result. Actually, I'm like a ripe fruit; if I'm not picked, I'll just fall. Who understands my heart?"

I couldn't help but ask, "What is your sexual orientation?"

Jiang Meili didn't hide anything from me. She sighed, "Men are just too smelly; their scent is disgusting. If it got on me, wouldn't I be defiled? So, my orientation should be female!"

It sounded so good when she said it. I still didn't know if she was a man or a woman, so I had to ask, "Are you really a woman?"

She held it in her hand, and it started making a "whirring" sound...

I wasn't that stupid. What if she made unreasonable demands? I just waved my hand and asked, "Where did you get this piece of junk?"

She didn't blush, her heart didn't race, and she said, "Only adults have them. To tell you the truth, this is... I took it secretly to play with. Don't let her know; otherwise, she'll break my legs!"

I smiled and couldn't help but ask, "How old are you? Playing with this, you'll definitely be killed if caught!"

Jiang Meili spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice, acting spoiled in front of me: "Don't say that to me! I missed you! Otherwise, why couldn't I do my homework at home? Why would I have to come here to find you?"

My face turned red to the roots of my ears. Truth be told, I used to be a man and was very fascinated by women, but now that I had become a woman, I felt more and more afraid!

The phone rang; it was Jiang Meili's. She took it out of her bag and held it to her ear: "Mom, what's wrong?"

A soft woman's voice came through quickly: "Come back early, don't let Mom worry. I don't know if you've seen my things yet?"

I thought she would be panicked, but she didn't change color or skip a beat: "If I can't find it, I'll help you look when I get back. Tonight, I want to stay at a classmate's place!"

A loud voice came through immediately, sounding like an order: "No! How can a young girl stay at someone else's house? They have their own family—where are you? Mom is worried!"

"I don't care, I already told you!"

Jiang Meili shook her body vigorously, though her mother couldn't see it.

"No! If you don't listen, I won't let you go to a classmate's house again!"

The voice on the other end was even louder than before, almost roaring.

Jiang Meili finally yielded, her voice softening: "Alright, I'll be back in a bit. My classmate will take me to the bus stop!"

The voice came back through the receiver: "Good! Finish your work and come back right away! Otherwise, I'll ride my electric scooter to pick you up!"

The other person rattled on for a while longer. After hanging up, she put the phone on the bed and took out her pencil case from her bag. When she opened it, I was stunned—it was full of little squares, and there wasn't a single pen inside.

She didn't blush or skip a beat as she did something in front of me...

I didn't understand what it meant and just watched from the side...

She really was a woman, and she didn't care about herself at all...

No wonder she could stand in front of so many classmates and say, without blushing or skipping a beat, that she was in a "lily" relationship with me. Although it didn't mean... one could interpret it that way!

I was repulsed, but I just watched and didn't stop her. I didn't expect her to take a short whip out of her bag and ask me to hit her with it...